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VoxQuote

Free tool · AU-calibrated

Tradie labour rate calculator

Work backwards from your take-home goal to the hourly rate you actually need to charge. Covers super, on-costs, and unbilled admin.

Labour-rate calculator

Work backwards from your take-home goal to the hourly rate you actually need to charge. All AU-calibrated.

$/ wk

Net in your pocket after tax.

%

Super Guarantee is 12% from 1 July 2025.

$/ wk

Fuel + maintenance + rego / finance.

$/ wk

Public liability + tools + income protection.

$/ wk

Average weekly replace + service.

hrs

Quoting, invoicing, chasing — unbilled.

hrs

Tools-on-job time. AU average: 28–34 hrs for a sole trader.

Gross needed per week
$2,431
Annual gross (×52)
$126,412
Hourly rate needed (ex GST)
$76
With 20% safety buffer
$91
Why most tradies undercharge: admin hours (quoting + chasing) aren't billable but are real cost. The 20% buffer line is there to cover sick days, training, slow weeks, and the quotes that don't convert.

Frequently asked questions

What's a typical AU tradie hourly rate?

Residential sole-trader rates in 2026 usually land $85–$160/hr ex GST depending on trade, region and experience. Sparkies and plumbers skew higher; painters and gardeners lower. Specialist work (HVAC commissioning, solar, licensed gas) commands $150–$220. Use the calculator above to check what your own numbers need to be — most tradies undercharge by 15–25%.

Why isn't admin time billable?

Customers pay for work, not for the quote you wrote at 10pm. Every hour of admin (quoting, invoicing, chasing, compliance) is cost, not revenue. The calculator factors that in by having you enter billable hours (tools-on-job) separately from total working hours.

How do I pick billable hours per week?

Most sole-trader tradies land 28–34 billable hours in a 45–50-hour working week. The rest goes to travel, quoting, admin, and lost pockets. If you bill 40+ hours, your quoting and admin are either ultra-efficient or under-reported — both worth checking.

Should I charge GST on top of this rate?

Yes if you're GST-registered (required above $75k turnover). Quote the rate ex-GST and show GST as a separate line on the invoice. Use /tools/gst-calculator to double-check the inc-GST total.

Where does the 20% safety buffer come from?

Sick days, public holidays, training, slow weeks, and quotes that don't convert. The bare-minimum rate (without buffer) assumes you bill every single week at full capacity — which nobody does. The buffered rate gives you a realistic target.

Set your rate once, price every quote right

VoxQuote uses your default hourly rate to price labour on voice-dictated quotes. Change the rate later and future quotes update automatically. Free to start.

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